Process and apparatus for making bottles from paper-pulp.



H. c. A YERST.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOTTLES FROM PAPER PULP.

APPLICATION FILEDJUNE19,1916- Patented May.7, 1918.

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H. c. AYERST.

I PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOTTLES FROM PAPER PULP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. 1.916.

1 ,265,162. Patented May 7,1918.

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HARRY c. AYEBST, or SEATTLE, wnsnnveron.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOTTLES FROM PAPER-PULP.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented May 7, 1918'.

Application filed June 19, 1916. Serial No. 104,397.

To all wkom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY C. AYERST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes and Apparatus for Making Bottles from Paper- Pulp, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in processes and apparatus for manufacturing bottles or containers from paper pulp, and is particularly an improvement on my prior patent application, Serial N 0. 48,422, filed September 1, 1915.

The object of my present invention is the provision of a simple and novel method of applying pressure upon the internal cavity of the bottle being formed simultaneously with the application of the suction upon its external surface, whereby the operations of forming a bottle are greatly facilitated and a more compact bottle-wall is provided.

Another object of the invention is the novel method of applying an internal sur-' face coating to the bottle, of pore-filling material, whereby any interstices between the pulp fibers forming the bottle wall are clogged to prevent the passage of air, enabling the application of an external suction and an internal pressure to the -bottle wall without loss of efficiency.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of apparatus showing the mechanical embodi-- ment of my invention, and whereby my improved method maybe carried on Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a valve employed in my invention taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views illustrating valve mechanism included in my 7 invention, shown in its operative positions.

In said views, similar referencenumerals in the'several views denote like parts, and also indicate like parts in mysaid prior application, Serial No. 48,422, to which reference may be made, only such mechanical elements of sald former invention as areneces:

sary to an understanding of my new process and invention being illustrated and described in the present specification. Referring to Fig. 1, the' reference numeral 6 indicates a platform havingcentrally thereof an upwardly projecting cylindrical of the platform, and a rod 13 slidable in a socket member 14 of the machine frame.

Complementary to said mold blocks and adapted to fit into the space inclosed thereby i when the blocks are in operative contacting positions, is a vertically movable hollow cylindricalv cap member 15.

The aforesaid hollow portion 7, the blocks 10 and the cap member 15 constitute a mold having inner walls formed to the shapes of the respective portions of a bottle. Such walls are provided with perforations 16 for the passage of water into the chambers 6 10 and 15 of the respective mold elements.

Said perforated walls are each furthermore covered with a layer l'Z of foraminated material such as finely woven wire gauze, which constitutes part of the mold. and against gvhnlzh the pulp is depositedin producing a ott e.

Thereferred to radial movements of the block 10 are effected by mechanically operated means which are not herewith-illustrated, but to which reference may be made in my said prior application. The vertical and lateral movements of the cap member 15 need not be specifically described in the? present application. It is supported, however, by the downwardly directed extremity 25 of a tubular stem 25 which is-slidably I and rotatably supported in a superposed portion of. the machine frame, not shown.

Cap 15 is raised and lowered with rela-' tion to the other mold members by means of links 30 secured at their lower ends to sleeve 29 which is, inlturn, connected to the stem 25 by means of set collars 28. 1

. The reference numeral 43 vrepresents a pipe connected with a vacuum pump" or with- "a tank (not shown) from which the air pres sure is reduced below that of the atmosphere and is communicatively connected with a vacuum or air-controlling valve 44;. Said valve controls the application of the suction from pipe 43 into pipes 50, 50 and 50 which are 'communicatively connected with the chamber 6 mold chambers 10 and cap chamber 15 respectively. The pipe 50 is connected with said stem 25 through which suction is communicated into valve chambers 15 Said valve is provided with an arm 47 which is actuated by suitable timing apparatus connected with moving parts of the machine, whereby the opening and closing of the valve ports may be timed.

35 represents a supply pipe extending through the platform 6 into the space within themold from. a reservoir 36 for the pulp material.

The material from which the bottles-are produced in the mold is in the nature of a thin pulp, and is maintained in a comparatively homogeneous condition by stirring appliances such as revolving blades 42 provided in the reservoir.

55 indicates a valve casing provided in the supply-pipe 35 having a rotary valve member 56 contained therein controlling the pas sage of pulp from said reservoir to the moldchamber. Said valve-chamber is rotatably mounted in said casing and is provided with a bevel-gear 57 meshing with a bevel-pinion 58 which is suitably driven by operative mechanism indicated by 60 to be actuated in synchronism with the mold-actuating devices, not shown.

Said casing 55 is provided with ports 61 and 62 upon its opposite sides, communicat-' ing with the opposite sides of said supply pipe 35. It is also provided with an opening 63 with'which connection is made by pipe 65 with a tank 77, containing a supply of material for filling the interstices of the bottle walls to make the same impervious to air. Said tank is positioned at an elevation above the mold in order that the pore-filling material, when the same is of liquid consistency, will be assisted by gravity in its flow toward the mold. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the tank 77 is supported upon a floor 78 which may be the floor directly above the floor whereon the machine is mounted.

66 indicates an opening. in the casing with which a pipe 67 makes connection with a tank 80 containing air under pressure. The casing is formed with another opening 68 which is connected directly with the atmosphere. A by-pass is formed in said casing,

as shown at 69, having one end with an opening into the port 61 leading into the upper end of pipe 35 and its other end directed into the interior of the casing at a point offset from the passage 7 0;

The valve member 56 is formed with a rupt turn 72 opening into the passage 70.

Upon the end opposite said passage 71 is a bore 73 which has one of its ends 75 arranged in a plane to register with the openings 63 and 66 and its other end 76 adapted to register-with the opening of by-pass 69, whereby communication is made with the supply-pipe through said by-pass with the respective pipes 65 and 67. V

The passage 71 is made to extend entirely across the valve member 56 and two bores 73 are formed symmetrically upon opposite sides of the axis of the valve so that two complete bottle-forming operations are made Epon each full revolution of the valve mem- The operation of the invention may be described as follows The mold members 10 are moved into operative positions in which they are indicated in Fig. 1, and cap member 15 is also moved into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 whereupon, by proper timing devices (not shown), suction is instituted from 'space between the mold members which, be-

ing communicated through the supply pipe 35, causes the pulp mixture in the reservoir.

36 to be drawn up into'the mold space and, by reason of the suction through the apertures 16, the exterior portion of the pulp material is drawn against the foraminated lining 17 and, by the extraction of the water through'the apertures 16, is deposited in a relatively thin sheet.

The suction in said mold space andthesupplypipe 36 being thereupon broken by the opening of the vent leading to the atmosphere, the undeposited material is caused by its gravity to flow back through the supply pipe 35 into the reservoir. The suction in the mold chambers is continued during the period in which said vent is opened, whereupon a current of air is drawn through the relatively open pores of the deposited pulp material and causes a relatively rapid drying of the moisture in said pulp. Thus, substantially, is the mode of operation of my invention described in my said prior application. It has been found, however, to be desirable to accelerate the paper-forming functions of the mold by the provision of means to apply air under pressure to the interior of the bottle simultaneously with the application of suction to the' exterior Walls of the bottle, whereby the bottle walls 'will assume a much firmer structure with air pressure, a charge of pore-filling mate-' rial, either in powdered form or a liquid, is drawn or-forced into the interior of the partly formed bottle and deposited upon the walls of the bottle bymeans of the combined suction through said walls, and force of gravity or otherpressure exerted from the storage tank of said materiaL'thereby closing the minute passages and compacting the texture of the bottle material.

The material with which the bottle walls may be treated in order to thus seal it from the percolation of air, may be of various kinds, such as colloidal casein, glue, starch in either powdered or liquid form, or powdered magnesia.

' Referring particularly to Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive, wherein the valve mechanism controlling the supply pipe 36 is shown, it may be first stated that the valve mechanism herein shown is contemplated and illustrated as being rotated at a uniform speed in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. In said view, the valve passage 70 is shown as being fully open with respect to the valve ports'61 and 62, establishing com.

munication between the mold chambers and,

the reservoir 36-, said passage. 70 being indicated in dotted lines. .In such rotary position of the valve and until the passage- 71 registers with the opening 68, the pulp is drawn up into the space between the mold members, and is being deposited upon gravity back into the reservoir.

Continued rotary movement of the valve member 56 brings the end 7 5'of the bore 73 into' register with the opening 63, asillustrated in Fig. 5, with which communication is made withthe pipe leading to the-tank wherein isstored thepore-filling material,

and the end 76 of said bore into'register.

with the by-pass69.

When such communication is made, the

.. passage. 'is closed withreference to the supply pipe 35. Thereforesuction-v is again maintalned in the upper end of the pipe' 35 and may assist,,to some extent, the passage of saidpore-filling material from the tank through said bore and 'by-pass into the interior of the bottle. Pressure may also be exerted upon the tank containin said porevalve member 56 has progressed to bring the end of the bore 73 into register with the valve opening 66 leading into the pipe 67, while the opposite end 76 of said valve still maintains its communication with the bypass 69. Through such connections air pressure is introduced within the bottle cavity and effects the final compacting and solidification of the bottle walls.

As previously described, the valve mem-- her is formed with symmetrically arranged passages so that at each half-cycle of its revolution, a complete bottle is formed; the

actuating mechanism rotating said valve is so timed with the other timed operative devices of the machine that its various functions are carried out in synchronism.

By the described method of closing the pores of the bottle wall, the pore-closin material is deposited upon the inside 0 the bottle and does not come in contact with the foraminated lining of the mold, which would be the case'if the pore-closing material was incorporated with the pulp as it is first apobjectionable even though the latter may be of a soluble nature.

What I claim as my invention, is

. 1. A process for making bottles from paper pulp, which consists in, first, introducing a quantity of pore-filling material into the interior of a bottl,'second, causing said material to be deposited against the internal surface of the bottle-by means of suction acting through thepores of; the latter, and

subsequently applying an internal pressure to the bottle wall to compact the same against the mold 2. A process for making bottles from paper pulp, consisting in, first, depositing a layer of pulp material upon the interior of a perforated mold to form a bottle, second, introducing by suction a charge of pore-filling material and depositing the same upon the interior walls of the bottle, and applying an internal pressure upon the bottle walls.

3. A process for making bottles from paper pulp, consisting in, first, depositing a layer of pulp material upon the interior of a foraniinated mold through suction exerted through the apertures of said mold, second, introducing a charge of pore-filling material within the bottle, and causing the same to be deposited upon the walls of said bottle, and

third, exerting an outward pressure upon the interior walls of said bottle and simultaneously continuing the suction upon the external walls ofsaid bottle.

4. A process for making bottles from paper pulp, consisting in, first, depositing a layer of pulp material upon the interior of a foraminated mold, second, breaking the partial vacuum within said mold causing the surplus pulp material to flow out of said mold, third, introducing a charge of porefilling material within the bottle to be deposited upon the bottle walls to prevent the -passage of air through said walls, and lastly, exerting an internal pressure upon the bottle walls.

5. A process for making bottles from paper pulp, consisting in, first, depositing a layer of pulp material upon the interior of a foraminated mold, through suction exerted through the apertures of said mold, second,

breaking the partial vacuum within said mold causing the surplus pulp material to flow out of said mold, third, simultaneously renewing the suction and introducing a charge of pore-filling material within the bottle to be deposited upon the bottle walls to prevent the passage of air through said walls, and lastly, exerting an internal prespulp material, in combination with a mold having perforated walls, a reservoir for pulp material, a pipe making communicative connections between the interior of said mold and said reservoir, and suction devices having operative communication with the exterior of said mold, of a tank for storing porefilling material, tubular connections between said tank and said mold, a source of storage or supply of air under pressure greater than the atmosphere communicatively connected with said mold, and regulative devices interposed between said mold and the respective connections.

7. In apparatus for forming bottles from pulp material, in combination with a mold having perforated walls, a reservoir for pulp material, a pipe making communicative connections between the interior of said mold a and said reservoir, and suction devices having operative communication with the exterior of said mold, of a tank for storing pore filling material, tubular connections between said tank and said mold, a source of storage or supply of air under pressure greater than the atmosphere communicatively connected with said mold, and a valve provided in said pipe for regulating the operations of all said connections with said mold.

8. A process for making bottles from paper pulp, consisting in forcing a quantity of pore-filling material upon the interior wall of a bottle, and applying an internal pressure and an external suction simultaneously to the bottle wall.

Signed at Seattle, Washingtop, this 13th day of June 1916.

HARRY o. AYERST.

Witnesses E. PETERSON, [HORACE BARNES. 

